Matthew 3:16-17 (NIV) - As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the
water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending
like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This
is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
Matthew 4:1-4 (NIV) - Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the
desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights,
he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son
of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, "It
is written: `Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes
from the mouth of God.'"
When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River he knew the time had arrived
to begin his earthly ministry. He was ready to be baptized because of the
long years he had spent in preparation. Now he must fulfill all righteousness
through his obedience. He had been attentive and faithful in his personal
relationship with God. The scriptures reveal that Jesus grew [increased]
in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52). It is
no wonder that God was pleased with His beloved Son. Jesus had full understanding
of the importance of the task God was sending him to do. With the Spirit
of God upon Him Jesus enjoyed an exhilarating spiritual high, for he knew
that he was the chosen one of God and that God had given Him the greatest
responsibility in all the world. He had come to lead men and women from
a life of sin, back home to God.
How was Jesus going to handle this duty? What method would he use to work
out this awesome task that God had given him to do? The method he chose
would be crucial, because it would determine how he could win men and women
to God. There were two choices he was faced with. Would he continue to choose
the way God had taught Him; that of living by every word that God spoke
to him (see John 8:28-29)? Or, would the Devil be able to persuade him to
get off of the Word, choosing his method instead; that of living by the
temporary desires of the flesh? The point for us to keep in mind is that
there is no escape from temptation, for Jesus or anyone else, after a great
spiritual decision has been made. The Devil will eventually show up, to
try and tempt us.
Consequently, when Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the desert, he didn't
go out there merely to be tempted (tested) by the Devil. Jesus went out
there, because he needed time to be alone with His Father in Heaven, to
fast and to pray before he began his ministry. He spent 40 glorious days
and nights in communion with God, seeking necessary counsel from the Holy
Spirit, before the tempter even arrived on the scene.
The tempter very subtly and skillfully chose the best time to attack - when
Jesus was hungry! While he was at his lowest, physically weak and hungry
from lack of food, the Devil tempted Him to turn the stones into bread to
satisfy his immediate hunger. The tempter knew, not only that Jesus had
the power, but that he could use that power self ishly for his own
use. With his body in a weakened condition from hunger, the possibility
was there for Jesus to do something to satisfy his need for physical nourishment.
The power of suggestion (the bait) came easily for the Devil. It so happens
that the Judean desert is scattered with round pieces of limestone, which
looks like little loaves of bread. What was the tempter trying to do? In
essence, he was doing two things; 1) tempting Jesus to focus on his own
physical needs, rather than his spiritual ministry, and 2) tempting Jesus
to prove that He is the Son of God.
If Jesus turned the stones into bread, he would, in effect, succumb to both
temptations. It would also prove that the Son of God is more interested
in satisfying the temporary desires of the flesh, than he is in satisfying
the eternal desire of the Spirit of God.
Though weakened from lack of food and nourishment while out in the desert,
Jesus remained spiritually strong. The solid relationship he enjoyed with
God, gave him the strength and the ability he needed to face his tempter
head on. Totally rejecting the temptation to build his kingdom on physical
bread, Jesus boldly proclaimed: "It is written: Man does not live on
bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." Jesus
also chose to ignore Satan's demand to prove He is the Son of God.
What a tragic mistake it would have been if Jesus had fallen for the Devil's
method. If he had focused on his own physical needs and vanity, he would
have literally cheated us of salvation, along with the gift of his Spirit.
For without Jesus, "The Word," there would be no life in us. As
he told his disciples:
John 6:63 (NIV) The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.
The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
If the flesh had won out, Jesus would have been guilty of using his God-given
powers selfishly to supply secondary needs. Removing the symptoms of physical
hunger would in no way have satisfied the underlying spiritual hunger in
the heart of man. The real cure to spiritual hunger is to remove the root
cause. That cause was removed by Jesus at the cross.
Isaiah 53:4-6 - Surely he took up our infirmities and carried
our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and
afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for
our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by
his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of
us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity
of us all.
No one is sovereign unto himself and it all comes down to the question of,
"Who is going to be boss of my life, Satan or God (the flesh or the
spirit)?" With Jesus taking all our sins to the cross, why is it that
so many people still insist on carrying the burden of their own sins? It
is for one reason only. Many people are still blinded by the subtle sugges
tions of the tempter who demands physical proof that Jesus is who he says
he is! We begin to doubt the reality of Jesus being the Son of God.
Mr. John Kaminski, ex-prisoner and friend, recently sent an e-mail message
from Connecticut. He wanted to share in the joy that he experiences each
and every day as he faces the world with the living God. I'm happy to report
that John is no longer spiritually hungry. John wrote:
"All of my life, through all the pain inflicted upon me, and later
through the pain that I inflicted upon others, both directly and indirectly;
my question has always been more of a demand, according to the terms that
I set forth, that God "prove" to me that he is real. Let me assure
you that he is so very real, and he is inside each and every one of you.
I see it, I hear it, and I feel it, from everyone every day. Sometimes it
is so loud that it becomes deafen ing.
It took a suicide attempt and a detour in life for me to take the time to
close my eyes and listen to that energy, the one that I can feel inside,
deep in my innermost center, the feeling of calm that lies inside each of
us, crying to get out. It is the desire to make someone's world just a little
more special, without wanting anything in return. Just because it makes
that energy inside of you, that piece of God - as I refer to it, just that
much stronger, because it makes you that much better of a person. It is
all powerful...it is giving back! I know now that I have a place in this
world. I know where God is."